Thursday, April 19, 2012

I love vampires. I haven't written about them much since 2010, but I still love them. This love did not grow after reading Bram Stoker or Anne Rice as a teenager. It started in 1989 when I found Dark Shadows on VHS at the public library.

For more of my thoughts on its influence, check out my blog from last June here.

I was deeply saddened to hear about Jonathan Frid's passing last week, and following so soon after the passing of Davy Jones. Two of the most important figures from my childhood are now gone. Right now, I'm deeply entrenched in the Leviathan storyline, and watched episodes 962-964 last night.

If I have one comfort, it is that Dark Shadows will live on. It is not going anywhere any time soon. It was the first soap opera to ever achieve syndication after going off the air. It was one of the very first t.v. shows to have its full run released on VHS, then DVD. It was also the first show the Sci Fi channel bought when the channel started (long before it became SyFy).

House of Dark Shadows and Night of Dark Shadows didn't do very well in theaters. The 1991 revival with Ben Cross only got one season. The 2004 pilot with Alec Newman did not get picked up by the WB. And then of course we lost Dan Curtis, but even that couldn't stop Dark Shadows. The characters are amazing and always will be, and the fans are equally amazing. And no matter what the Tim Burton film is like on May 11, Dark Shadows will live on.

Need further proof? How many cancelled 1960s shows have brand new comics coming out right now?